


What is Love?

by moxx04



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F, Kind of what is love au, i'm not good at fluff, not very edited so if there are mistakes it was my sleep-deprived brain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-10-11 05:12:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17440601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moxx04/pseuds/moxx04
Summary: Hirai Momo is sure of three things in life.





	What is Love?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ggsonce](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ggsonce/gifts).



> Advanced happy birthday, Biga!! I'm posting early because I might not be able to post tomorrow but yeah,,, I'm sorry if it sucks but I do hope you enjoy the slight randomness of this whole thing :D

Hirai Momo is sure of three things in life.

  1. She is going to be a professional dancer someday.
  2. You can never go wrong with food.
  3. Im Nayeon is the best person in whole wide world.



Those are the fundamental things that make up her worldview. It’s simple, straight to the point, and everything she needs: a dream, a belief, and a solid anchor.

Of course, she figured out somewhere along the way in her young life that not everyone has this outlook. Not everyone believes that she’s going to be a dancer, because…she doesn’t exactly look the part. She has full bangs, thick glasses, and an overall awkward vibe, so people think that’s all there is to her. Anyone who does see her dance is quick to change their minds, though.

Most of her classmates also think that food is fine and necessary but there’s more to it than that. She thinks that’s ridiculous. Her friends agree, even the arguably coolest girl in their school, Yoo Jeongyeon. Her classmates simply need a better appreciation for the finer things in life.

Lastly, not everyone can understand the wonder that is Nayeon’s existence.

Momo is pretty easy-going and calm in the face of everything life decides to throw at her, and Nayeon helped immensely with that. She was a very shy kid, and as the natural order of life, other kids did not miss this weakness. Recess was an annoying time during her first year in Seoul, not really knowing the language yet after only recently transferring in Japan.

The kids always cornered her and spoke with malicious glints in their eyes. She didn’t understand what they were saying but maybe that was the point of it, making her feel different. They succeeded, until one unremarkable Friday, her savior came.

One of the kids just pushed her down in the sandbox and she felt like crying. Then a shadow was suddenly blocking the sun and she heard someone else fall down heavily. She squinted and saw that a girl in pigtails just pushed down the kid who was bullying her.

The girl turned around and held her hand to help Momo up. When she was finally standing, the first thing she noticed was the girl’s prominent front teeth. It was really cute, like the teeth her grandma’s bunnies had back in Japan.

“Are you okay?” the little girl asked, head tilted to the side.

“Yes. Thank you,” she replied, a bit stilted because her grasp on the language, while improving, was still not the best.

“Do you want to play with me?”

“Ye—” she tried to say when their teacher came running to the scene and interrupted.

The teacher freaked out and immediately helped the kid up from the sand, checking for injuries, nevermind that Momo was always getting hassled by the other kids before. Nayeon was put in time out when several other kids started saying what happened, never mentioning that the boy was the first to instigate the incident.

Despite this, Nayeon only stared defiantly at the teacher then looked at her with a grin.

“After my time out, do you want to play?” Nayeon asked again.

“Can I sit in time out with you?” she asked instead.

Nayeon seemed to consider the question for a while, ignoring the teacher who was looking incredulously at the two girls.

“Come on,” the bunny said, holding out her hand again.

They would sit in the corner of their classroom, waiting until recess was over. She would find out the girl’s name and she would tell her hers. They would hold hands and discover that silence with a friend in an empty classroom wasn’t so bad, and that’s all they would need. Dumb boys who pushed girls down in sandboxes and mean girls who always said the meanest things could be ignored.

Im Nayeon is the best person in the world and she’s lucky to be her bestfriend.

-

It was the first day of their last year in high school and they’ve come a long way from that fateful day more than a decade ago. The pressures of high school were exaggerated, in her opinion. She and Nayeon were dreaded entering a brand new environment during middle school but everything turned out fine.

Momo and Nayeon were classified as geeks because of the glasses, unstylish hair, and vibes, and that was that. There were no mean girls that shoved them into lockers or the like, thankfully. Sure, there were the popular kids whom everyone admired but they never did anything particularly mean.

The perfect example of this is Yoo Jeongyeon, who is as mentioned before, one of the coolest girls in campus because she’s the school’s best athlete. She looked intimidating during freshman year but Nayeon noticed the girl eating lunch by herself most of the time so they hung out with the girl. They discovered that Jeongyeon was just as geeky as them and they just stuck together happily.

They would later meet younger kids during their sophomore year, whom they would take under their wings, as unlikely as it sounds. It’s not her fault that her bestfriend liked taking in strays. Besides, it’s not like she could resist the doe-eyed freshmen who looked lost either, and Jeongyeon was always the most responsible out of the three of them.

Tzuyu, a beautiful girl that just transferred from Taiwan stuck to Nayeon after an afternoon of getting lost on her way to the gym, and Nayeon helping her find her way. Her bestfriend thought Tzuyu was just an airheaded senior who somehow forgot the school’s layout because of the girl’s height and intimidating aura so she was surprised when the girl said she was a freshman. After that, Nayeon thought that Tzuyu was absolutely adorable and that, as a good senior, Tzuyu was stuck with her. The younger was happy to have found the weird senior too.

Jeongyeon found her very own freshman soon after, named Son Chaeyoung. Jeongyeon was apparently walking with some of her other friends from the basketball team and telling her lame jokes when she hears someone finally laugh at her “brilliance” from the side. Her no jam friend finally met a kindred spirit and so a cub was added to their group of friends.

Lastly, she met a painfully shy-looking girl looking lost in the hallway, asking her where the school’s music room was. The girl reminded her of tofu and she wanted to pinch her cheeks. She refrained but did manage to make her a friend on the way to the music room. Kim Dahyun would also be part of their group.

They weren’t quite the outcasts but they were a weird group. An athlete, a theater geek, a geeky dancer, a photographer, a painter, and a pianist. They all had different hobbies but that never stopped them hanging out in Nayeon’s house and just having fun watching movies and anime.

With all of this, she was expecting her last year to be just like the ones before. She hasn’t seen Nayeon for a week because she and her family returned to Japan for a short vacation. She got a weird text that reeked of nerves from the girl the day before but when she asked if something was wrong, her bestfriend just changed the subject.

She was a bit worried but she figured if something _was_ wrong, they would figure it out today.

She was putting away her books into the locker when she felt someone tap her shoulder.

“Good morning, Momo,” she hears her bestfriend say.

“Good morning, Nay,” she replies, only turning around after finally fixing her things.

Nayeon…looked different. The girl’s previously curly hair is now straightened, the thick glasses were gone, and there’s even a touch of make up on the girl’s face. She was beautiful. But then, Momo always thought that Nayeon was beautiful.

“Be honest with me, Momo. Do I look ridiculous?” the girl asks her impishly.

“You look as beautiful as ever,” she answers honestly. “Is this why you seemed off yesterday?”

This draws a laugh from the girl and everything feels right in the world.

“Yeah, my mom finally dragged me into a salon and did this to me. She also bought me some make up and threatened to confiscate my Wicked DVD if I didn’t use it,” Nayeon explained.

She laughs at that. Nayeon’s mom always was strong-headed. Must be where Nayeon got her electric personality.

“Who’s the new girl?” Tzuyu asks jokingly from behind her.

“Very funny, Tzuyu,” Nayeon deadpans.

The younger just smiles fondly at the older and flicks her forehead. These two have a unique dynamic and she can’t help but smile at their antics. Chaeyoung and Dahyun arrive, both complimenting the girl’s new look.

They turn to the topic of class sections. This year, the three juniors were finally in the same class. On the other hand, Nayeon was separated from her  and Jeong. That was a sad discovery but they’ll survive. Momo would just have to figure out another way to not get bored in class other than constantly passing notes with Nayeon (their teachers hated it but the alternative was her sleeping in class so they’ve learned to live with it, she was just more focused that way).

The warning bell finally rang and Jeongyeon arrived just in time to greet them, then proceeded to drag Nayeon away.

“Hey, where are you going?” she called out.

“To the gym! Nayeon promised to help me with the equipment, help me catch up on homeroom please?” Jeongyeon replies loudly back at her, continuing the brisk walk to the gym with an exasperated Nayeon.

“See you at lunch!” Nayeon says, looking back at her then finally matches Jeonyeon’s long strides.

“Aye aye, captain!” all four of them respond, then laugh at their silliness.

She doesn’t fail to notice the way the trio form across her locker followed Nayeon’s exit with their eyes too.

She would’ve brushed off the three’s reactions if it weren’t for Jihyo and Sana teasing a flustered Mina. That seemed suspicious and it made Momo feel…something. Probably some first day jitters.

She splits up from the juniors and finally heads to her classroom.

Homeroom was boring and their teacher was a familiar one so Momo didn’t see the need to pay that much attention. Besides, she was busy thinking about the trio earlier. Jihyo, Mina, and Sana weren’t terrible people but they never really interacted with other students outside of their respective activities.

Minatozaki Sana was the cheerleading captain and school sweetheart, as cliché as it sounded. Jihyo was the student council president and was loved by everyone. Mina was funnily enough, a fellow dancer. They never really talked to each other because Momo was still shy when it came to talking to new people and Mina was a ballerina so their dances didn’t really overlap.

Maybe she was just imagining things but something about seeing Mina blushing over a retreating Nayeon made her feel annoyed.  

-

After her last morning class, it was finally time to head to the cafeteria. The sight that greeted her was different than what she expected. Usually, it was just the six of them, but there, sitting next to Nayeon, was Myoui Mina. She felt someone bump into her and looked back to see that it was Jihyo.

“Momo, right?” the bright-eyed girl asks.

“Yeah,” she nods a bit.

“Do you mind if we sit with you guys? Minari already settled down, as you can see,” Sana asked from beside Jihyo.

“No, I don’t mind,” she mutters, walking away to get her lunch.

When she finally approaches the table with her food, she sees Nayeon laughing at something Mina said and she once again felt that prick of annoyance.

“Oh, hey Momo!” her bestfriend gestures to her enthusiastically.

That made her feel better, so she chooses to settle down on Nayeon’s other side. Nayeon always makes her feel better.

 “Where’s Jeong?” she asks.

“Caught up at practice again,” Chaeyoung answers.

“During the first day?” Dahyun asks incredulously, and she nods along because how could the sports team be that cruel?

“After Jeong and I set up their equipment, the people who wanted to try out for the team arrived,” Nayeon responds.

“The school must really be gunning for another championship win, huh,” she says.

“Seulgi-unnie and Jeongyeon left a very good impression on last year’s finals so the basketball team’s being given permission to skip a few classes to settle again,” Jihyo adds.

“The seniors leaving the team will definitely hurt but Jeong-unnie will handle it just fine,” Chaeyoung says offhandedly. “Seulgi-unnie couldn’t have left the captaincy to someone better.”

“My sweet cub, this is why I know I can trust you,” Jeongyeon exclaims dramatically, walking towards them.

Chaeyoung grins at the older girl’s antics. Meanwhile, Nayeon and Mina are back to giggling with each other.

Jeongyeon smiles at everyone and introduces herself to the newcomers. Of course, everyone already knew her but Jeongyeon wouldn’t be Jeongyeon if she wasn’t being polite to acquaintances.

“So, how are your classes going?” Jihyo asks during a lull in conversation.

“We’re all in one class!” Chaeyoung shares excitedly.

Tzuyu, as always, just looks endeared at her friend’s energy. All of them are, but somehow, Tzuyu is the most obvious about it.

“Nayeon got separated from us this year,” Jeongyeon also shares, looking smug at Nayeon who is sticking her tongue out childishly.

“I was getting tired of your face anyway,” Nayeon replies haughtily. “Besides, I’m in the same class as Mina. Maybe she’ll appreciate my presence.”

Again with the annoyance. It really wasn’t very nice of her. She’s had years of sharing with Nayeon with everyone else, especially Jeongyeon. She doesn’t know why Nayeon’s sudden friendship with Mina bothers her.

“You won’t miss me?” she asks without really thinking about it.

Nayeon blushes a bit at that. Is it cold? Why are people blushing?

“Of course I will.”

Jeongyeon laughs from her seat. Nayeon’s eyes narrow and a used napkin is thrown at the captain. Jeongyeon lets out an indignant squawk but Nayeon only looks satisfied at her revenge. She wonders what the whole exchange was about, though. But then she’s just glad that she’s not the only one who’ll end up missing her bestfriend.

-

It’s the middle of the school year when things are getting busy when she realizes that the six of them have now become nine. Mina, Sana, and Jihyo were always with them when they weren’t busy with their respective roles in the school.

Mina and Nayeon’s closeness also persisted. It wasn’t like she was being replaced but it was still unsettling. She and Mina have become friends too, though. They sometimes occupy the same practice room to warm up. It was nice to finally have someone understand the freedom she experiences in  dancing.

It makes her feel weird, the way she gets annoyed at Mina sometimes even when she’s not doing anything. Maybe the girl was just seeing what she’s been seeing for the longest time, that Nayeon was the best person ever. She’s always wanted other people to see that too but now that it’s happening, she was getting annoyed. She feels bad.

“Momo, do you think Jihyo would say yes if I asked her on a date?” Sana asks her on the way to their shared class with Jeongyeon.

She stops at that. A date. Jihyo and Sana. It’s not like she was completely unaware of almost everyone dating and the like, but none of them had dated so she wasn’t interested in it before either.

“I think she would,” she says hesitantly. “But what does it mean when you date someone anyway? Isn’t it like us going to the café near school on weekends?”

“Ah, but that’s different, Momo,” Sana says, sounding sure of her words.

“How?”

“Well, when you date someone, you want to get to know them better,” Sana answers.

“But we’re all friends, we already know each other,” she says, confused.

“Think of it like this. If you want to date someone, it’s like friendship but…more,” the cheerleader says with a smile.

“More, like best friends?”

The girl laughs at her after that, muttering about something that sounds like bricks and density.

“I mean as a possible boyfriend or girlfriend, Momo. Someone like a bestfriend, yes, but someone you don’t want to share with anyone else.”

“So, like me and Nayeon,” she equates.

Sana looks at her, amused. She thinks about it hard. She’s always been the bestfriend but maybe the annoyance she always felt meant something.

“Sana, what does it mean when you feel annoyed at someone when they’re doing something with someone else?”

“Usually, it means you’re jealous,” Sana answers steadily. “Do you perhaps feel jealous when Nayeon is with someone else?”

“Yeah, I never figured it out, though,” she says, feeling lighter already now that she had her answers.

“Why is that?” Sana asks her.

“Well, I usually talk about this with Nayeon but since I didn’t want her to feel bad because I was getting annoyed randomly, I just ignored it. I didn’t think to bring it up with anyone else,” she says.

“Well, are you going to do something about it?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I am,” she grins at the girl.

They get scolded by the teacher for coming late to class but she’ll just treat Sana to ice cream to apologize later. It was, after all, an enlightening talk.

-

Later that day, she goes to the practice room, and sees that Mina’s already warming up. The quiet girl smiles at her in greeting. She returns the gesture.

“Hey, Mina,” she starts, breaking the silence. “You’re not dating Nayeon, are you?”

This gives the other dancer a pause. Then again, Momo was always more blunt than other people. She shouldn’t be surprised anymore.

“No, I’m not,” Mina answers.

“But do you want to?” she asks further.

“…No?” Mina answers.

“Because I’m willing to proceed with those rival situations that always happen in shoujo mangas.”

Mina laughs at that.

“I’m serious! I won’t be a jerk, but I will definitely compete with you if that’s what it takes.”

“Momo, Nayeon is helping me ask out Jeongyeon. Seriously, that girl is as dense as you,” Mina chuckles.

“What do you mean?” she asks, confused.

“It means, I like Jeongyeon so you and I won’t need to do a full-on rivalry for Nayeon’s affection,” the dancer smiles at her.

“Oh…well, that’s nice,” she says, a bit disappointed at herself for not seeing the situation for what it was. “I honestly thought you were with Nayeon when I realized it was possible. I thought it was because you finally saw how great she was when she changed her looks. I totally would have beaten you because I’ve always known that she’s beaiutiful.”

“Well I’m sorry to disappoint, but nope, I’ve been completely smitten with our very own basketball captain since freshman year. You should still tell Nayeon that, though,” Mina says with a grin.

“Freshman year?!” she hears a voice ask incredulously from behind them.

Mina looks wide-eyed and panicked at that. They didn’t even notice someone entering the room. She blames the music and the canceled declaration of rivalry.

“Hey, Jeong,” she greets.

“Did I hear that right?!” the girl asks with a loud voice.

It was kind of amusing to see the usually composed captain freaking out like this. Mina was also doing her best tomato impression with the way she’s blushing so, it was an overall adorable moment. And to think she entered the room thinking she would get into a competition.

“Yes, Jeongyeon. Now stop being dense and get your girl,” she cheers.

Both Jeongyeon and Mina look at her incredulously after that.

“And that’s coming from you?!” Jeong says.

“Well, obviously,” she says, heading out of the room.

Those two should be figuring out their relationship now so maybe she should too.

-

She arrives at the school auditorium with a cup of red rose on her right hand and a box containing a big chocolate chip cookie on the other. They were just finishing up their practice for the day and when Nayeon spots her, she says goodbye to the girl she’s talking to and heads towards Momo.

“Hi, Mo! I thought you had dance practice today,” Nayeon greets her.

“I did but I figured it was worth missing that to give you these,” she says, offering the items she’s holding to the girl.

Nayeon flushes beautifully. Maybe she’s not so bad at this after all.

“You didn’t have to,” Nayeon says shyly.

“But I wanted to,” she says, tucking her arm against Nayeon’s and heading outside the auditorium.

It’s not the first time they went home together. More than a decade of friendship meant that they spent an incredibly long amount of time with each other. More often than not, they’re in each other’s homes, their families accepting the other like another daughter.

She wonders if this is what Hana has been trying to tell her everytime she asks if she finally asked someone out. She couldn’t really see herself asking anyone else.

They weren’t excessively cheesy with each other. They didn’t want to be obnoxiously cute like Chaeyoung and Tzuyu. But right now, she felt like hugging the bunny-toothed girl to no end. She resisted the urge, but only because she wouldn’t get the chance to ask the question she wanted to ask if she did.

“You know,” she says, “I almost became rivals with Mina.”

“What?” Nayeon asks, confused at the sudden words.

“I thought she liked you too.  I had a speech prepared to win you over and everything,” she grins at Nayeon.

The girl looks speechless. So adorable and lovely. No wonder she fell in love with her.

“W-why don’t you say it anyway?” Nayeon mutters.

“That’s a great idea,”  she chuckles. “Well, Im Nayeon, I am utterly in love with you. It took me years to see it, and with a lot of help from Sana, but I finally understand why I want you to myself most of the time. I finally get why you’re the most wonderful person in the world for me. It’s not just because you’re a great person. It’s because it’s always been you. You’ve always been the only one I could see.”

“Took you long enough,” Nayeon replies shakily.

“I’m sorry,” she smiles. “But I’m here now.”

“Yes, you are.”

Nayeon pulls her in and…wow. Who knew kissing her bestfriend in a random street on a random Tuesday would feel like the best thing in the world? They both laugh at the wonder of it.

What is love? It’s this person beside her, with bunny teeth and infectious laughter.

Hirai Momo is sure of three things in life.

  1. She is going to be a professional dancer someday.
  2. You can never go wrong with food.
  3. Im Nayeon is the best person in whole wide world and she is the luckiest person in the world because she’s hers.



 


End file.
